Consumers have recently shown a surge of interest in purchasing pork and
other agricultural products that are not produced by corporations or those
using large-scale farming techniques, for example, the use of antibiotics
or pesticides. Producers who market this “niche pork” have a long way to
go before they can satisfy consumer expectations, particularly in terms of
product identification and traceability. If pork is channeled through larger
abattoirs and traditional markets, it is practically impossible to know
where it came from. However, other smaller markets that allow traceability
exist for all farmers.

Farmers’ markets are the best examples of these alternative markets, and
they are becoming increasingly common across the U.S. Selling pork at
old-fashioned roadside stands, directly to specialty restaurants, and more
recently, directly to consumers on the Internet all allow farmers to brand
their product for niche markets.

Farmers’ markets are now an established link between consumers and farmers.
Certain consumers want locally grown fresh food and will pay more to connect
directly with the producers. There has been a 111 percent increase in the
number of farmers’ markets from 1994 to 2004. Fruits, vegetables, and other
horticultural crops currently dominate the commerce, but meat sales are
rising and present a major opportunity for pork producers.

Farmers’ markets are generally organized and run by participating farmers,
but some, for example, the Raleigh Farmers’ Market, is run by the North
Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Regardless, they
all have their own rules and regulations, some prohibiting the sale of
meat. A recent survey by the USDA
(http://www.ams.usda.gov/tmd/MSB/PDFpubList/FarmMark.pdf) reported that
only 19 percent allowed the sale of milk and dairy products, while 37
percent allowed the sale of meat and poultry products. But over the past
five years, meat sales have been surging. Consumers want to buy pork from
farmers.

In North Carolina and in other states, roadside stalls are also
increasingly becoming the point of sale for meats and other farm produce.
For smaller to medium-sized farms, this kind of niche marketing can be
critical to success in a business dominated by supermarkets and the
wholesale distribution systems.

Another major, and growing, outlet for the sale of pork is CSA (Community
Supported Agriculture). This unique concept originated in the 1960s in
Switzerland and Japan. Consumers there, concerned about the safety of
their food supply, teamed up with farmers looking to diversify and
stabilize their markets. Basically, consumers pay the farmers up-front
to supply them with a share of the farm’s production for that season. If
the farmer has a bad year the consumer-members get less; conversely, if
it’s a bountiful year, they get more.

In the U.S. there are more than 400 CSAs. Most operate in the Northeast,
but the West Coast market is also growing. In North Carolina the popularity
of CSAs has increased dramatically in the last 10 years.

This system engages consumers in a much closer relationship with farmers,
as consumers share some of the farmers’ risks associated with the weather
and market vagaries. Long-term CSA members are highly committed to building
a shared commitment to a local, sustainable, and equitable agricultural
system, one with which they can identify and trust to supply them with
food that is produced in a way consistent with their beliefs and desires.

CSA farmers usually use organic or biodynamic farming techniques.
Biodynamics is based on a series of lectures given by Austrian philosopher
Rudolf Steiner in 1924 and is “a method of agriculture which seeks to
actively work with the health-giving forces of nature,” according to a
Web site on the movement: http://www.biodynamics.com/. The CSA concept
actually arose within the biodynamics movement. To better engage their
members, some CSAs require or encourage their members to work on the farm.
They believe this helps create a stronger bond between the farmer and the
customer and helps increase the satisfaction of the arrangement for both
parties. In addition, some CSAs have a mission to incorporate and engage
special groups of the disenfranchised, e.g., the unemployed or homeless.

CSA farms sometimes offer a wide range of products, but sometimes they
ally with other farms, each providing a more limited range of products.
Produce usually includes vegetables, herbs, fruit, eggs, milk, and meat.

Farmers should consider the following points before deciding to sell pork
in nontraditional ways:

Locate a federal- or state-inspected abattoir that can process the pigs.
A state-inspected abattoir restricts product to only intrastate sales
unless it is a so-called Talmadge-Aiken plant. For these plants, now known
as Federal-State Cooperative Inspection Plants, the USDA has contracted
with the state to undertake federal inspection and so allow the interstate
sale of meat. Approximately 10 states have entered into these cooperative
agreements, and about 250 meat and poultry plants are licensed. If farmers
are looking only for local (intrastate) sales, then a state-inspected plant
will suffice.

Custom processing by local meat lockers offers another opportunity, as
most states allow producers to sell portions of live animals before they
are slaughtered. However, local restrictions on these “freezer meats” vary
widely. Also, the processor should be able to package the pork into
consumer-sized portions. While this was easily accomplished in the past,
nowadays it is becoming more difficult to find abattoirs that can do this;
many have gone out of business.

Consider how you will get your pork to your customers. Some farmers have
arranged for the customers to pick it up at the abattoir. If that can’t
be arranged, then, in North Carolina and most states, any person or
business that stores, transports, or sells meat must obtain a meat
handler’s license
(http://www.ncagr.com/vet/meat%5Fpoultry/meathandlers.htm). Licenses are
not difficult to get, and about 260 have been issued in North Carolina.
In practice, most meat is sold frozen because of the difficulties of
distributing a fresh product. A peculiarity of the regulation is that
any farmer can sell his/her own poultry without inspection if the farmer
doesn’t sell anyone else’s poultry and sells fewer than 1,000 birds per
year.

To summarize, for farmers to penetrate niche markets and prosper, they need
to explore new opportunities. Some producers in North Carolina have done
well by capturing the market of restaurants in New York City; others
routinely sell pigs for BBQ pigs; still others have established less
formal buying clubs. While the CSA option is currently dominated by the
fruit and vegetable sector, the opportunity to sell pork is ready and
waiting for entrepreneurs.

The New Farmers’ Market. Corun, Rosenzweig, and Gibson.
New World Publishing. ISBN - 0-9632814-2-9.

-Morgan Morrow

2005 STATE FAIR WINNERS

Ryan Blalock of Edgecombe County took home the prize for the Grand Champion
Junior Market Barrow and $10,000 from the Sale of Champions at the 2005
North Carolina State Fair. Harris-Teeter supermarkets bought his 273-pound
pig from Class 13. The company went on to spend $85,000 in the Sale of
Champions in the various species on Oct. 15. Hanna Haynes of Surry County
sold her 279-pound Reserve Grand Champion pig from Class 14, also to
Harris-Teeter, for $8,000.

The Junior Market Barrow Show, held Oct. 14 and judged by Todd Aulphin of
Georgia, drew a field of 192 pigs weighing between 230 and 280 pounds.
It was divided into 15 classes and three divisions.

Each junior exhibitor was allowed to sell one pig in the sale, and 132
pigs went through the ring. Smithfield Foods placed a floor of $48.25 per
hundredweight on the pigs, and N.C. Farm Bureau put a $50.00 premium on
each animal. Some pigs were granted additional premiums in the sale.

The Performance Market Hog Show, held Oct. 14, attracted 63 pigs in five
classes. These animals were from a large group of pigs placed on-test in
July, and each pig carried its average daily gain (ADG) paint-branded on
its rump. Class winners were Brian Batchelor, Nahunta Farms, Daniel Sharp,
and Terri Locklear. Nahunta Farms had the Grand Champion Performance Market
Hog, a 254-pound pig from Class 3. Terri Locklear had the Reserve Champion,
a 280-pound pig from Class 5.

The Grand Champion carcass, belonging to Terri Locklear, was third in Class
5. It had 2.31 ADG, 0.46 inches of backfat, 10.06 inches of loin eye, and
1.164 pounds of lean gain per day on-test. The Reserve carcass, belonging
to Greg Baker, was seventh in Class 4 on-foot. The carcass had 2.43 ADG,
0.36 in. backfat, 7.62 in. loin eye, and 1.089 pounds lean gain per day
on-test.

The Grand Champion Performance Market Hog on-foot was 14th in the carcass
contest with an 8.40-in. loin eye; the Reserve pig on-foot was fifth in the
carcass contest with a 9.17-in. loin eye. Carcass data were obtained for
the carcass contests through Real-Time Ultrasound measurements.

The Open Barrow Show, held Oct. 15, included 88 pigs in six classes,
ranging in weight from 230 to 280 pounds. Class winners were Wesley Looper,
Joe Wiggins, Dixie Looper, Connie M. Byrum, Connie M. Byrum, and Floyd
Sauls. The Grand Champion, a 277-pound pig from Class 5, was shown by
Floyd Sauls.

First place in the Open Market Barrow Show Carcass Contest went to Brian
Batchelor on a 233-pound pig with a 9.43-in. loin eye, 0.69 in. backfat,
and 63 percent lean. Second place went to Frank Feeser on a 230-pound pig
with an 8.10-in. loin eye, 0.40 in. backfat, and 61.76 percent lean.

This year the sows and pigs, along with the Champion and Reserve Junior
Market pigs, were on display in the Ark Building, next to the Sheep Tent.
Some of those assisting with the swine shows, under the coordination of
Ron Hughes, were Todd See, Bob Jones, Frank Hollowell, David Lee, James
Pope, Steve Lathrop, Kyle Lovercamp, and W.G. Simmons. The livestock
superintendent was Bruce Shankle, who replaced retiring Chuck Miller.

-James R. Jones

WE’RE MOVING

Extension Swine Husbandry will be moving out of Polk Hall in December, due
to planned renovations to the building. Our move is scheduled for the week
of December 12-16. Everyone will be moving, except Dr. Morrow (Rm. 201) and
Dr. van Heugten (Rm. 211-A), who will remain in Polk Hall.

We will be located in Annex West, Bldg. B in the Dearstyne area, just
outside the beltline. To find us, turn off Western Boulevard, onto Method
Rd. Pass the soccer fields on the right and turn left at the flashing
light, onto Ligon St. Go through the tunnel and turn left. Turn left at
the cemetery on your left. The first building on the left is Annex
West-Bldg. A. Annex West-Bldg. B is located behind A.

Our phone numbers and our mailing address will not change. Our email
addresses will also remain the same, although it may be difficult to
access us electronically for a day or so during the moving week.